The New York Yankees traded veteran catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday in exchange for right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson. The Yankees have announced the exchange.
Trevino, 32, comes to Cincy after a season in which he hit .215/.288/.354 with eight homers in 73 games as Austin Wells’ backup. Over the course of his career, Trevino has an OPS+ of 75 over seven MLB seasons, the last three of which were with the Yankees. Although Trevino is not a very productive hitter, he is a defensive asset behind the plate when it comes to blocking wayward pitches and framing the pitch. In 2022, he won his first and only Golden Glove. With the Reds, Trevino appears as the replacement for Tyler Stephenson. Trevino will be eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.
On the Yankees side, Cruz, 34, brings with him a career ERA of 4.52 and a FIP of 3.06 in three seasons. It’s likely the Yankees are betting that Cruz can be a useful contributor to the bullpen because of that impressive FIP, which in part reflects his excellent strikeout numbers — 228 strikeouts in 147 1/3 innings in career. Additionally, Cruz has a terrific strikeout pitch with his splitter that big league hitters have been powerless against. Last season he threw the pitch just over 40% of the time, and there is an opportunity to lean into the pitch even more with the Yankees. The Yankees are adept at helping relievers level up, and Cruz appears to have the basic ingredients to do just that.
As for Jackson, who turns 29 on Christmas Day, he has an OPS+ of 27 in 340 plate appearances spanning five big league seasons.
